


Make You Love Me

by amberwoods



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-ACOMAF, but kind of angsty?, idk it ends well, oops spoiler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8277062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwoods/pseuds/amberwoods
Summary: Elain has been trying to convince Lucien that he is worthy of being her Mate for months now. Yet every time she offers Lucien food, he refuses to take it. Finally, Elain decides to go big or go home. 
Elucien week 4: Betrayal / Loyalty





	

There is no end to war.

After every battle, there is a next, no matter how distant or insignificant it may be. There is always war. For a coward like him, this is unforgettable.

Feyre has taken Nesta with her to defend Miryam and Drako from the threats they accidentally called to them. They left Lucien to hold the fort in the Spring Court. Just before Tamlin sacrificed his life in the battle against the King of Hybern, he officially made Lucien the next High Lord. It’s a strange situation. His father sure isn’t happy about it.

He hasn’t got used yet to the fact that he gives the orders now. That he can make changes. He wants to. He is fond of the traditions of the Spring Court, but some of them are outdated and frankly offensive. Therefore, Lucien spends most of his time in the library, surrounded by paperwork, or meeting with advisors and complaining Fae.

Or thinking about Elain.

It was hard for Nesta to leave her here, but she did. Elain, though she was powerful, needed to be protected. Since the fight was far away this time, it was easy to keep her remotely safe by just having her stay home. Besides, she was vital in assuring the peace in Prythian. As representative of the Made, she charmed every High Lord she could get her hands on. With a smile and well-chosen words, she kept convincing them that they were not a threat. That Prythian could be saved, if only they worked together.

There were still some obstacles, of course. The High Lord of the Autumn Court refused to meet her. Lucien was glad of that. He didn’t want Elain anywhere near his father.

Although he didn’t want her anywhere near himself either.

Elain stayed in the Spring Court. She said her powers felt stronger there, and living there felt like a dream. Besides, she had taken it onto herself to get to know her Mate.

But Lucien couldn’t bear to look at her.

She was not what he had expected his Mate to be like. He had never even expected to have one. But in the stolen moments where he did allow himself to imagine such a person, she was always different from Elain. She was fierce, and witty, and she would quarrel with him about silly things, but always be on his side when it came to important things.

Elain… She wasn’t like his fantasy. She made him quiet. She was so young, and so carefree at times. She ran around the Spring Court, making friends with everyone, leaving flowers everywhere she went. She was like a painting come alive – something ethereal. And she would question him. At the moments he was sure about how to proceed, she asked him why. She looked at him with bright, brown eyes and carefully waited for his answer. She made him lose his breath. She made him lose his footing. She confused him.

She made him feel alive.

But how could he accept her? How could he let her accept _him_? The coward. The spineless fox. After what he’d done to her sister, what he’d done to _her_ … He couldn’t bear to look at her.

Lucien twirled his pen with his fingers and suddenly came back to himself.

Crap. He’d done it again.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Somehow, it seemed that he could only concentrate for _minutes_ before his mind immediately went back to her.

She was somewhere in the house now. He was always aware of that. He tried to make sure he knew where she was exactly, so he could make sure not to run into her. She tried ambushing him at times, offering him a cherry or an apple or a cup of tea. He never accepted any of it, even if he could see the disappointment and desolation in her eyes. He _couldn’t._

There was something wrong about not accepting his Mate. He felt it. He was sure she did too. He didn’t want to do that to her, but he saw no other way. Being with him could never be right for her. She deserved so much more.

Elain. Gentle, bright Elain. She should have been born a flower nymph. She should have been born a queen.

With a moan, Lucien let his forehead rest on the papers on his desk. He had to stop.

He took a deep breath. The scents of spring danced in through the open window. Then, he refused to think anymore, and instead frowned at the paper in front of him, his pen steady in his hand.

Suddenly, the doors to the library opened with a violent slam. Lucien’s head snapped up, and his eyes widened.

In front of him, Elain was stomping into the library, a frustrated frown on her face. She was carrying a _gigantic_ apple pie.

“Elain-” he stammered, and he got up, right as Elain reached him. She put the huge plate onto his desk almost carelessly. From up close, he could see tears in her eyes.

“I baked you a pie,” she said, her voice shaking. Whether it was with anger or sadness, he didn’t know.

“With apples,” she continued, “And raisins, and cinnamon, and ginger, because it reminds me of you and I can’t stop _thinking_ about you.”

Lucien was staring at her, his mouth open, his eyes wide.

“I baked you a pie,” she repeated, the tears in her eyes welling up again, “And you’re going to eat it.”

She looked at him and tried to blink her tears away.

For a moment, they were just looking at each other across the enormous pie. It smelled delicious.

“Elain-” he started again, and she immediately changed her mind on wanting him to speak.

“I-I’m not telling you to love me,” she told him quickly.

His entire mind went blank at that.

“I’m… I’m not even telling you to try. I just…”

Tears started rolling down her face, and she was still frowning. She gestured at the air between them. “This is _wrong_ , Lucien.”

His name on her tongue sent shivers down his spine.

“It feels wrong,” she continued in a small voice, “And I don’t want it. I understand… I understand that I might not be what you expected. Or what you want. And I know I’m new to this world and that I hardly know you and that you don’t really _want_ to know me, but…”

The frown fell from her face, as if the fire went out of her. Suddenly, she was just crying. She was just sad.

“I need you to let me help you, Lucien,” she whispered.

His heart dropped to the floor.

Then, Elain took another deep breath, and picked up a slice of the pie with her bare hand. She’d cut out one single piece. It was huge.

She looked at him again and brought it up to his face, holding one hand underneath it to catch the crumbs.

There were tears in his good eye.

Elain’s stare was relentless and disarming and reminded him of everything the coward in him wanted to run away from. Not worthy of her? Possibly. Probably. But that was no excuse.

Lucien could swear his instincts were cheering, roaring in his heart, when he opened his mouth further and reached for the pie in her hand. He held her gaze as he bit down, and therefore he could see the exact moment the relief hit her eyes and took over her entire expression. He could see a smile appearing on her face, and more tears running down her face, and he would do it all again just for the sight of that.

Elain cried and smiled and when he stood up straight again and chewed, swallowed, he smiled at her as well.

And for a moment, there was no war. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! This was actually the very first elucien fic I wrote. It's not my favourite, but I thought I'd share it anyway. I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
